Is Life Getting Harder for Middle-Aged People?
The suicide rate for people aged 35 to 64 increased 30 percent from 1999 to 2010, the New York Times reports.
Are Americans in the middle of their lives being stretched to the breaking point? The first decade of this century witnessed a dramatic rise in suicides among middle-aged people, The New York Times reports. The increase, about 30 percent among 35- to 64-year olds, has raised the question of whether "a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm," according to the Times. The paper cites a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who says the financial and family situations of baby boomers might be creating unique stresses, such as taking care both of their aging parents and their young adult children. The …